Township honors sacrifice of fallen heroes at Memorial Day observance

By Jamie Biesiada

Though the offices of Wall Township were closed on Monday, multiple local residents flocked to the Municipal Complex to honor fallen military men and women in a somber observance of Memorial Day.

The ceremony, led by Mayor George Newberry, began with cadets of Wall High School’s Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps [NJROTC] program presenting the colors.

The Rev. Randy Smith, of Wall’s Grace Tabernacle Church, offered words of prayer at the beginning of the ceremony.

Great gratitude was owed to those who gave their lives for the country, the reverend said. Americans’ freedoms are often taken for granted, he said, such as the freedoms of speech, religion and against physical threat.

“We also know that all freedom has come at a great cost,” the Rev. Smith said.

“Help us, Lord, to always remember them,” he said, of those lost while fighting for the country.

“Our liberties have come at a very high cost,” he continued. “We pray that you will protect all of those still in our armed services.”

Mayor Newberry then spoke, asking those in attendance to conjure the image of a day in late summer — the sky is blue, and the temperature perfect.

“Everything you can think about is just right that day,” Mayor Newberry said.

The day he was describing, he said, was Sept. 11, but not in 2001 — he spoke of Sept. 11, 1814.

“On that very day, our country was attacked,” the mayor said. British troops invaded Washington, D.C., and President James Madison was forced to escape on horseback to the fields of Virginia.

British troops invaded harbors, but a hurricane rolled in and killed or wounded multiple soldiers. They set sail along the coast, he said, and ended up near Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, Md.

American forces gathered there, and “everything depended on Fort McHenry,” Mayor Newberry said.

A lawyer, Francis Scott Key, was going about his business as usual and boarded a British ship outside the fort to negotiate for a client’s release, Mayor Newberry continued. On board, however, Mr. Key was told he was being detained.

That night, the British unleashed their full force of artillery on Fort McHenry.

“That mighty military let loose everything it had,” the mayor said, but miraculously, the fort still stood the next morning.

Mr. Key penned a poem that night, which later became the national anthem.

On that day, Mayor Newberry said, “fragile liberties” in this country were defended.

“They had to be defended for generation after generation,” the mayor said, and asked those in attendance to think of the liberties currently afforded to citizens.

The importance of those liberties, he said, has to be passed from generation to generation.

“No matter how young or old you are today, if you’re breathing, your job is not done,” Mayor Newberry said.

The significance of the American government must be passed along to future generations, he said, as must the price at which freedom has come.

Wall High School student Cari Fletcher then sang the national anthem of which the mayor spoke.

Ryan Lorch, the cadet commander of the NJROTC, spoke of the origins of Memorial Day.

The orders to recognize fallen soldiers on a May day came from General John A. Logan in 1868, Ryan said.

It was the end of the Civil War, the war that saw the most American casualties in history, Ryan explained. On May 30, 1868, American flags were placed on all Union and Confederate soldiers’ graves at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

The South did not immediately adopt Memorial Day, choosing to honor its fallen troops on a separate day, Ryan said, but in 1971, the last Monday of May was officially recognized as Memorial Day.

“Today is to honor the fallen soldiers of this country,” Ryan said.

With the history of Memorial Day disseminated to attendees, Mayor Newberry took a moment to thank the Memorial Day committee that organized Wall Township’s observance.

The chair of the event was Brigadier General Kenneth F. Wondrack. Also on the committee were Chief Warrant Officer [CWO] Joseph Carlino, United States Coast Guard Station Manasquan Inlet; Andrew Chapman, of the Veterans of Foreign Wars [VFW]; resident Jo Smith Schloeder; and NJROTC Captain Jim Steinbaugh.

“Veterans and guests, thank you for being here today,” the mayor said. “It is so important that we do this.”

A chorus, consisting of local residents, then sang an a capella rendition of “God Bless America.”

Mr. Chapman spoke on behalf of the VFW.

“Wherever the body of a comrade lies, the ground is hallowed,” Mr. Chapman solemnly said.

The American flag flies over a land of free people, he said, because of the sacrifices of the brave men and women of the armed forces.

“All our freedoms are protected and preserved by the men and women in the military service,” Mr. Chapman said. “We are grateful.”

The Wall Township Committee was present in its entirety, and all offered words of thanks to both veterans and fallen soldiers.

Sen. Sean Kean [R-11] also attended the ceremony.

He said it was important for citizens to “pass down stories from generation to generation.”

Monday marked what would have been his father’s 82nd birthday, the senator said. His father had lied about his age to fight in World War II when he was 16, and turned 17 in a foxhole in the Philippines, Sen. Kean said.

When he returned to the country, he attended Seton Hall University, South Orange, and again volunteered to fight in the Korean War, Sen. Kean said.

His father’s story was not unique, however, the senator said.

“Everybody has a story,” he said, and urged attendees to pass their stories along to younger generations. He also encouraged locals to “today, thank a veteran.”

CWO Carlino offered the keynote address for the observance.

When he spoke of those in uniform, CWO Carlino said, “I’m talking about everyone in uniform” — including police, firemen and first aid squad members.

When he was a child, the chief continued, Memorial Day meant a day off from school and a barbeque.

But now, “the true meaning is much more profound and personal,” he said. “In my humble opinion, we do not recognize, memorialize or simply just thank” those in uniform enough, he continued.

His uncle sacrificed his life in World War II, CWO Carlino said, and his platoon leader wrote that he was “a true, real American.”

His uncle “helped keep me and all of you safe and free, just like so many before and after him,” CWO Carlino continued. He urged everyone to remember “the men and women who are working to keep us safe, keep us free.”

After the choir’s rendition of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” Cadet Lt. J.A. Owens of the NJROTC spoke about the future of the military. He said the military has taught him courage, loyalty and determination, “only learned from those who served with all their might.”

Those lessons, he said, should be passed along to future generations who will, in time, become American heroes.

The observance ended with the traditional decorating of the Memorial Day monument at the Municipal Complex.

Mr. Chapman and Brig. General Wondrack placed a wreath in front of the memorial, while high school student James Gray III ended the morning’s ceremony with a trumpet rendition of “Taps.”